December 2016

December 23, 2016

So it's December 23, the last business day before Christmas. Seems like a good time to post something in the spirit of the holiday. I could play the curmudgeon and rant about some of the Christmas music one hears this time of year, but I won't do that (other than to note that the songwriters and performing artists who have given us the song "Last Christmas" have yet to pay for their crimes.) Or I could attempt an inspiring sermon about the importance of peace on insurance disputes and good will toward adjusters. But that would be weird. Or I could jot a few tried-and-true quick lines about the importance of loss prevention at this time of year, lest these guys show up at your door. But, let's be honest here, I'm basically lazy.

And because I'm basically lazy, I've decided to re-post a painful moving piece of poetry I first penned 10 years ago this month and published in IIABNY Insider. The poem tells the story of a character I shamelessly ripped off adapted from a popular work by the late Theodor S. Geisel, known to the masses as Dr. Seuss. I'm flattered that my tripe contribution to holiday literature has been reprinted by organizations such as Big I Virtual University and the Massachusetts Association of Insurance Agents, even as I question their editorial judgment. Apparently, others have found value in my poem as a space filler holiday message.

December 19, 2016

It's December 19. Christmas Eve is in five days, as is the first night of Hanukkah. The Pagan holiday of Midwinter (also known as Yule) arrives on December 21. Kwanza kicks off one week from today. For those who celebrate that particular holiday, Festivus will be upon us in a mere three days. That's an awful lot of celebrating, and an awful lot of gift-giving. Here in the Geek Cave, I can get just as stumped as anyone else when looking for the perfect gift.

Well, look no further, because IIABNY has come to the rescue. It has been said that nothing says "Happy holidays!" like a good errors and omissions loss prevention tool. (No, I don't remember who said that; stop interrupting.) Therefore, just in time for you to snag a copy for that special someone, IIABNY is proud to announce the publication of –

THE IIABNY BIG BOOK OF FORM LETTERS & OTHER E&O TOOLS

This handsome volume (or electronic file; we're a 21st century publisher) offers more than 120 pages of E&O loss prevention goodness, designed to either help keep your agency out of litigation or give you documents to fight off any legal actions that may come your way. Most of the book consists of prepared form letters, ready to be copied and pasted onto your agency letterhead or into the body of an email, to address dozens of situations.